Ingredients

The selection of good ingredients is without doubt the most important factor in the manufacture of good quality ice cream. A clean, fresh, creamery flavour in ice cream can be secured only by the use of products, which have been carefully selected and used. Ingredients are the substances, which contribute the fat, non-fat solids,sweetening, flavouring, colouring, stabilizing and emulsifying materials to ice cream mix. Selection of suitable ingredients for the ice cream mix preparation depends on the following points.

i) Products availability

ii) Perishability of products

iii) Convenience in handling

iv) Effect on flavour and body and texture of ice cream

v) Cost

vi) Equipment available for processing

The ice cream mix ingredients may be grouped as (a) Dairy products and (b) Nondairy Products. Dairy products are the source for milk fat and non-fat milk solids in the ice cream. Non-dairy products are the source for sweeteners, stabilizers,emulsifiers, colours and flavours.

i) Milk fat products: The following products, which have higher milk fat contents are the source for supply of milk fat in the ice cream preparation.

a) Sweet cream

b) Frozen cream

c) Plastic cream

d) Unsalted butter

e) Butter oil.

Besides above materials, the following materials may also serve as source for fat. In addition, these materials also provide non-fat milk solids:

a) Whole milk

b) Whole milk powder

c) Condensed whole milk (plain/sweetened)

d) Evaporated milk

ii) Milk protein/non-fat products: These include the following:

a) Skim milk

b) Skim milk powder

c) Condensed skim milk (plain/sweetened)

d) Sweet cream butter milk

iii) Sugars and other sweetening agents: Many kinds of sweetening agents are used in the preparation of ice cream. Cane sugar (sucrose) is the most commonly used sweeteners in ice cream. Other sweeteners used are beet-sugar, glucose syrup, dextrose, fructose, honey, invert sugar, corn syrup and artificial sweeteners like saccharin etc. About 13-15 per cent cane sugar is generally considered adequate for ice cream. Part of the cane sugar can also replaced by other sweetening agents like glucose syrup, corn solids, honey etc. The amount sweeteners is accordingly adjusted to get the desired sweetness in ice cream.

iv) Stabilizers and Emulsifiers: The purpose of adding stabilizing in ice cream is to obtain smooth body and texture. They help in improving the water holding ability of ice cream mix and thereby help to obtain smooth body and texture.They also help to prevent large ice crystal formation during storage of ice cream.Excess amount of stabilizer would cause soggy or gummy body in ice cream and reduce whipping ability. Whipping ability of ice cream mix refers to the ease with which air can be incorporated into ice cream mix. The size of the air cells and the maximum overrun, which can be attained.Emulsifier helps to emulsify fat in ice cream mix. It improves the whipping ability and provides a dry ice cream with smooth body and texture. Too much of emulsifier may cause excessive foaming in ice cream and cause shrinkage during storage.

The following substances are used as stabilizers in ice cream:Gelatin, Sodium alginate, Guar gum, Carboxy methyl- cellulose, Agar-agar,Carrageenan, Locust bean gum

The following two kinds of emulsifiers are used in ice cream:

a) Mono and di-glycerides derived from chemical reaction of naturally occurring triglycerides, e.g., glycerol monostearate (GMS)

b) Polyoxyethylene derivatives of hexahydric alcohols, glycol and glycol esters-e.g. Tween- 80

v) Flavouring and colouring agents: Flavour is an important aspect of ice cream.Ice cream is valued mainly for the pleasing flavour. Many flavours, both natural and artificial are available for providing flavour substance for ice cream. In the selection of flavouring material, it is important to consider the quality of ice cream mix in which they are to be used. Slight off-flavours in the mix may obscure the delicate flavour of the flavouring material. Flavouring substances of natural and artificially produced are available mainly in mixtures for flavouring food products. Vanilla flavour is the most widely used flavour in ice cream followed of cocoa/chocolate flavour.

Natural flavours available for addition to ice cream are from (a) All fruits (b)Vanilla beans (c) Cocoa and chocolate (d) Coffee extract etc.Synthetic flavours include a) Aromatic chemicals, and b) Imitation of flavours.

vi) Colours: Ice cream should have a delicate attractive colour which suggests or is associated with the flavour. Only harmless, edible and permitted food colours should be used. Care should be taken to use only those colours, which are permitted under PFA rules.

vii) Miscellaneous ingredients: Special ice creams like fruit ice cream or nut ice cream use fresh fruits or nutmeats in their preparation. Fresh fruits or frozen fruits are used in the preparation of fruit ice cream. Fruits like strawberry,raspberry, peaches, pineapple, mango etc. are generally used in the preparation of fruit ice cream. The amount of fruit required to impart flavour varies with the desired characteristic intensity of flavour. This amount varies from 10 to 25 per cent of weight of the finished product.

Among nuts, almonds, pistachios, walnuts, peanuts are some of the nuts popular in nut ice creams. The nutmeats used in the ice cream should be clean and free from any bacterial contamination. About 3-6 percent of nut preparation may be used in the nut ice cream. Cocoa or chocolate or egg or egg products are also used as optional ingredients in ice-cream.